Sugar - how much to put in? The cheesecake is slightly tart when 25 g of sugar is used. Most people like it with this amount however there was one taste tester that wanted it slightly sweeter. How much sugar to add will come down to personal preference. If in doubt taste the mixture before you add in the gelatine & then add more sugar if necessary (the jelly is sweeter).

Strawberry Jelly

400 g Cut strawberries (from 500 g)

130 g Caster sugar

3 Gold strength gelatine leaves

Method

Cut the strawberries into small pieces (1/8th - 1/16th - depending on the size of the strawberries). Put 400 g of the strawberries into a microwaveable bowl or other container that you can heat. Sprinkle them with sugar, stir them & microwave on high for 2 - 3 mins. The sugar should have dissolved & the majority of the juice will have come out of the strawberries.

Let them sit for ~10 mins.

Put a sieve over a small(ish) saucepan & drain the strawberry mixture into it.

Keep the remaining strawberry bits (pulp) for the cheesecake.

Set the strawberry syrup aside until the base & cheesecake have been made.

Biscuit Base

Put biscuits into a food processor & blend.

Melt butter & add to biscuit crumbs, stir to combine.

Transfer mix to a dish suitable for the purpose of the cheesecake & press into place. If you want to make a cheesecake in a shaped pan line most of the pan with baking paper that comes up over the sides of the pan. These will be your handles to lift the cheesecake out. Carefully line the pan with plastic cling wrap and put the biscuit crumbs over the wrap.

Store the base in the fridge.

Cheesecake

Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for approximately 5 mins.

Cream the cream cheese & caster sugar.

Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides & cream the mixture a little longer.

Add the thickened cream.

Beat the mixture until uniformly smooth.

Mix in the strawberry bits.

Take gelatine sheets out of the water, remove excess water & transfer to a container containing the hot water. The gelatine should immediately dissolve.

Add the gelatine to the cream/cheese mixture & stir to combine.

Pour the cheesecake mix on to the biscuit base. Allow the cheesecake to set in the refrigerator. When the cheesecake has set (~30 mins) prepare the strawberry jelly.

Strawberry Jelly

Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for approximately 5 mins.

Boil the strawberry syrup for ~4 mins. When boiling the juice will expand ~3 x. Let it cool for approximately 5 mins.

Weigh the amount of syrup by transferring it to a clean bowl. Add water to bring the weight up to 250 g. Stir the syrup.

Bring the set cheesecake out of the fridge.

Take gelatine sheets out of the water & remove excess water. Put the gelatine into the strawberry syrup & stir. The gelatine should immediately dissolve.

Gently spoon the strawberry syrup over the top of the cheesecake. The trick here is getting the syrup to the right temperature. If the syrup is too hot it will melt some of the cheesecake & little bits will float to the top. To avoid this try with one spoonful of syrup first. However if the syrup is too cold, the gelatine will start setting & sometimes the layers wont stick together.